In collaboration with the Folk Music Center and Museum and Nani Agbeli, director of the West African Music Ensemble at Â鶹ӰÊÓ, we invite you to join us for a Volta Drum Dance performance and exhibition of Ghanaian instruments during Art After Hours at the Benton Museum of Art. Instruments will be on view starting at 4:15 pm. Performance starts at 6 pm.
About Volta Drum Dance
Ghanaian music combines the powers of drumming, dancing, and singing to connect communities and tell the stories of important cultural people and events to new generations. This distinct feeling of musical connectedness has no equal in American culture, so we are committed to sharing it. Volta Drum Dance is proud to display our diverse membership. We come from different countries, races, and religions, but one thing we have in common is respect and love for this music and everything it represents. Every member of Volta has opportunities to learn, perform, and be a part of our community. We are proud to be a diverse group of people who are bonded over our love of traditional Ghanaian West African drumming, dancing, and singing. We were all chosen for our skills and dedication to the music.
Our mission is to expose as many people as possible to these traditions and instill a lasting curiosity for unfamiliar cultures. Volta Drum Dance provides a unique experience you do not want to miss. Connect with us at
Performers:
Nani Agbeli
Monique Thompson
Paola Escobar
Morgan Gillette
Tabari Quarles
Arlynn Page
Isabel Ivey
Andrew Kemble
About Victor Nani K. Agbeli
Born into a family of prominent drummers and dancers in Ghana's Volta region, he was trained by his father, the late Godwin K. Agbeli, who performed with the Arts Council of Ghana Folkloric Company and later served as chairman of the Ghanaian National Association of Cultural Groups.
Nani Agbeli went on to study with his brothers and artists at the National Arts Center in Accra and, for many years, led the award-winning cultural troupe Sankofa Roots II. For nine years, he served as the drum and dance instructor's principal at his father's Institute, Dagbe Cultural Center, which trains domestic and international students in Ghanaian traditional arts.
His professional goals include unifying West African music and dance with creative multi-arts initiatives in percussion, dance, music, history, healing, and choreography. Nani taught Ghanaian drumming and dancing and led performing ensembles at Tufts University, Lane Tech College Prep, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Harvard University, and others. Also, he has taught at Berklee College of Music, Berwick Academy, the Edna Manley School in Jamaica, Bowling Green University, Williams Elementary School, and the University of Virginia. He has held artistic residencies at many other colleges.
While teaching at Tufts and Harvard, Nani served as Artistic Director and lead dancer of the Agbekor Drum and Dance Society, a community-based group in the Greater Boston area founded by Professor David Locke Tufts University.
Nani currently Teaches at Â鶹ӰÊÓ, where he is a Professor and Director of Ghanaian, West African Music, and Dance. And he is also the founder and artistic director of Volta drum dance company in Pasadena, California.
About Folk Music Center and Museum
August 12, 1958 Charles and Dorthy Chase opened the Folk Music Center in the back of a real estate office on Harvard Avenue before finding its current location at 220 Yale Avenue in 1970. In 1976 the Folk Music Center Museum opened as a nonprofit educational and cultural organization. The museum contains rare and antique musical instruments, and folk artifacts from around the world. Family owned and operated now for five generations, the Folk Music Center and Museum hosts open mics, concerts, and field trips - offering music classes, lessons, repairs, appraisals, and access to a huge selection of instruments and accessories to Claremont and visitors from around the world.
